Gaston sex offender gets decades in prison for cemetery sex assault

Published: Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 08:52 AM.

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A man once convicted of child sex offenses in Gaston County will spend decades in prison after he admitted Wednesday to kidnapping a woman in Gastonia and sexually assaulting her in a cemetery in Cherokee County, S.C.

Kenneth Lee Hilton, 50, who lived in Shelby at the time of his latest crimes pleaded guilty to kidnapping and second-degree assault to commit criminal sexual conduct, according to a written statement from the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Circuit Judge Derham Cole sentenced Hilton to 25 years in prison on the kidnapping charge, and an additional 20 years on the assault charge.

Authorities said Hilton kidnapped the victim from Gastonia on July 11, 2011, and brought her to Cherokee County. Hilton was supposed to take her to a Checking Advance in Gastonia to cash her father’s benefit check.

He took a wrong turn and merged on Interstate 85. The victim dialed 911 on her cell phone while it remained in her purse. Hilton would not let her out of the vehicle and while traveling southbond on the interstate he grabbed and punched the victim, according to the solicitor’s office. He also made several comments about what he was going to do to her. The victim was hoping that help would come because of the 911 call, but never saw anyone.

Hilton drove off the interstate, pulled into a cemetery and sexually assaulted the woman. He got mad at her at one point and reached into the center console and she ran away and fled into the woods to get away from him. The whole incident prior to her running away was recorded by 911 over her cell phone, according to the solicitor’s office. The 911 tape was played in court during sentencing on Wednesday. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the attack and collected DNA evidence from the bra of the victim that was sent to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to be placed into database to see if a match from a former defendant would match it, according to the solicitor’s office.

On Jan. 17, 2012, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a lab report from SLED stating the DNA from the victim’s bra matched Hilton. Hilton was later interviewed by detectives, telling them that he had given the victim a ride from Gastonia to the cemetery, but that nothing happened between them.

A man once convicted of child sex offenses in Gaston County will spend decades in prison after he admitted Wednesday to kidnapping a woman in Gastonia and sexually assaulting her in a cemetery in Cherokee County, S.C.

Kenneth Lee Hilton, 50, who lived in Shelby at the time of his latest crimes pleaded guilty to kidnapping and second-degree assault to commit criminal sexual conduct, according to a written statement from the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Circuit Judge Derham Cole sentenced Hilton to 25 years in prison on the kidnapping charge, and an additional 20 years on the assault charge.

Authorities said Hilton kidnapped the victim from Gastonia on July 11, 2011, and brought her to Cherokee County. Hilton was supposed to take her to a Checking Advance in Gastonia to cash her father’s benefit check.

He took a wrong turn and merged on Interstate 85. The victim dialed 911 on her cell phone while it remained in her purse. Hilton would not let her out of the vehicle and while traveling southbond on the interstate he grabbed and punched the victim, according to the solicitor’s office. He also made several comments about what he was going to do to her. The victim was hoping that help would come because of the 911 call, but never saw anyone.

Hilton drove off the interstate, pulled into a cemetery and sexually assaulted the woman. He got mad at her at one point and reached into the center console and she ran away and fled into the woods to get away from him. The whole incident prior to her running away was recorded by 911 over her cell phone, according to the solicitor’s office. The 911 tape was played in court during sentencing on Wednesday. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the attack and collected DNA evidence from the bra of the victim that was sent to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to be placed into database to see if a match from a former defendant would match it, according to the solicitor’s office.

On Jan. 17, 2012, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a lab report from SLED stating the DNA from the victim’s bra matched Hilton. Hilton was later interviewed by detectives, telling them that he had given the victim a ride from Gastonia to the cemetery, but that nothing happened between them.

“The quick thinking of the victim by calling 911 on her cell phone and recording the incident, as well as the work of the Cherokee County sheriff’s detectives and officers led to this conviction of Mr. Hilton, a previous sexual offender,” Assistant Solicitor Kim Leskanic said. “Justice has been served in this case and Mr. Hilton will never be in position to attack another woman.”

Hilton’s prior criminal record included three convictions for second-degree sexual offense and three convictions for indecent liberties with child from June and July 1995 in Gaston County. He was released from prison in those cases in January 2001.